Herbal Medicine for Emotional Healing: A Book Review

I have high standards for a book to gain some space on my book shelves and this new book with a herbal look at emotional health is worthy. Full disclosure: Tina Sams is a fellow Pennsylvania herbalist who has grown into a good friend but I can assure you I took a critical eye to this book.

This text is written with first person practical experience and the recipes are unique. In this era it seems to many that herbals are a rehash of another publication that is already on my bookshelf and I am pleased to say this one is not.

It begins with a simple overview of herbal preparations and then rolls into chapters focusing on all the many issues surrounding emotional well-being. Obvious issues such as anxiety, stress and depression but also chapters on digestive issues (do you hold your stress in your gut?), skin issues, headaches, circulation, immunity, tense muscles and heartaches. Author Tina Sams took a look at all emotions such as: grief, guilt, heartbreak, moodiness, feeling overwhelmed, sleep and spirit. The final section of the book is a brief alphabetical look at 30 herbs which support emotional healing. There is a resource directory, small glossary and measurement conversions.

The wide variety of recipes and suggestions made in this title is greatly appreciated. The recipes are for both internal and external applications and the instructions are clear and easy to follow. Most of the recipes utilize only 4 to 6 ingredients which makes them very affordable to create.

For me, the lay out is a bit wonky. Personally, I don't like it when recipes continue on the next page.  While there is an index, it could be a bit more comprehensive in my opinion. The table of contents is quite extensive and that helps to make up for where the index is lacking. There are some color photos in the volume and fortunately each of the thirty herb briefs are accompanied by a color image but for the most part this is not a colorful coffee table book. Instead it is a practical, informative and comprehensive book on herbs for emotional healing. And for the list price of $16.99, it is a bargain for the depth of information shared here. The publisher is Rockridge Press.

Another disclosure:  In her acknowledgements Tina Sams wrote a lovely tribute to our mother Bertha Reppert! It was such a pleasant surprise (and brought a tear to our eye as well). Tina spoke to how she felt our mom "set the tone" for the "generous herbal scene" we have here in Pennsylvania and beyond. A herbal scene that "continues to grow, evolve and welcome new herbies".  It is so kind of Tina to both remember her and recognize her, twenty years after her passing. We are blessed.

Emeralds and Envy

There's a new cozy mystery nestled on my bookshelf tucked among the many cookbooks and tea themed books I collect. This new tome, Emeralds and Envy, happens to have been authored by fellow tea enthusiast and Tea With Friends blogger Angela McRae. Angela has a descriptive, easy-to-read, casual writing style with bits of humor popping up throughout the book. The story opens with a murder in the small town community of Roseland, GA. Multiple characters are introduced, friendships are formed, town gossip is shared all the while leading the reader to wonder who committed this deed. There is a strong community of small businesses within the story line that makes you want to visit the cute shops and cafes! The main character, Emma Madison creates jewelry and is always on the lookout for garage sale finds that can be redesigned into her clever designs. Emma is mostly a coffee drinker, but there is an afternoon tea interlude that was enjoyable to read, plus a recipe for the Egg-Olive Sandwich Spread that was served can be found in the back of the book along with Emma's Blueberry Tea Bread recipe. In the end, Emma is glad to finally have the murder solved (no spoilers here), and peace and quiet will reign over Roseland again. Since this is Book 1 in the Junkin' Jewelry Mystery series, I suspect there might be another situation that requires more sleuthing in the future.

In the acknowledgements, Angela shares that this book is dedicated to her first born niece, Madison Horton, and that the last name of the main character (Emma Madison) also honors her. This special bond between aunt and niece is particularly sweet. 

Pennsylvania Magazine

Al Holliday, founder and publisher of Pennsylvania Magazine was the featured guest at our recent "Pennsylvania Proud Tea Party". As part of the program, Al presented each attendee with a sheet of 25 Pennsylvania Trivia questions. Some had multiple choice answers and some were open ended, all lead to an interesting discussion on Pennsylvania. Many had the guests exclaiming "I didn't know that".

Pennsylvania Magazine is published every other month and features interesting and informative material pertinent to our keystone state. Beautiful photography, frequent contests, and a peek into people, places, events, and history complete the information found within the pages of this beautiful magazine. Everyone received a current copy of the Pennsylvania Magazine with the invitation to receive two more free issues, such a lovely gift to round out a delightful day.




The 'Did 'Ja Know?' column appears in the back of the magazine and features a series of questions and multiple choice answers. Previous issues featured 'Links to Lincoln', 'Nellie Bly', or this particular one on 'Folk Medicine Plants of the Pennsylvania Dutch' inspired by the late Paul R. Wieand's book with the same title. Al Holliday was in attendance during our Summer Supper on the Susquehanna where Susanna spoke on this topic. Utilizing the book, Al comprised the questions about our Pennsylvania Dutch ancestors and their medicinal gardens.

Herbal Books by Bertha

Bertha P. Reppert, our mother and the founder of The Rosemary House was a prolific writer. She wrote numerous articles for many magazines, a featured article in the New York Times about Saffron, and a weekly article on herbs for the small local paper.


Her first book, A Heritage of Herbs, was her bicentennial project and focuses on Native Herbs.  She was way ahead of her time on the concept of growing Native plants.

Next came Herbs with Confidence. This award wining book is a primer on growing herbs. It opens with the basic requirements for herb gardening and the use of herbs, while the back of the book features individual monographs on each culinary herb with how to grow it, how to use it and a recipe and craft for each herb. 

Growing your Herb Business was published by Storey Publications and is an encouraging "How-To" book for opening your shop, farm stand or booth. Since it was written pre-internet, it does not include info on web marketing. However, it is still considered a "must read" for those who aspire to own a little brick and mortar shop or stand.
 

The Brides Herbal features many creative ideas for weddings and showers with a romantic, sentimental herbal theme. Favors, Decorations, Bouquets and Recipes complete this fun book.

Mrs Reppert's TwelveMonth Herbal is a favorite of all who read it. Written as a daily journal of herb musings, uses, recipes, facts, lore and trivia this book can be picked up and read over and over.  Many folks tell us they add some of there special herb moments to each of the pages. It is a lovely inspiring herbal that can be picked up and enjoyed starting with any page of the book!

Thanks Mom, for this great legacy of herbal knowledge! 

Welcome Author Annamaria Alfieri

Last Sunday we welcomed author Annamaria Alfieri to the gardens of the Rosemary House for a book signing followed by an afternoon tea. Author of Strange Gods, a British East African murder mystery, Alfieri captures the exotic feel of this foreign country, ties in a romantic component and follows the traditional who-dunnit syle in this popular novel. 

In addition to her African series, she has two other historical mysteries set in South America, Blood Tango and City of Silver. Her first novel, City of Silver was named one of the best debut mysteries of the year by Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine. Annamaria is a world traveler, and draws upon her experiences and shares her love of these countries in her writings. Follow the author on Facebook.

A beautiful sunny Pennsylvania afternoon was the perfect setting for a book signing. Debbie Beamer of Mechanicsburg Mystery Books coordinates the book sale. The casual relaxed setting of the gardens offered the opportunity to purchase a book or two, chat with the author, sip some strawberry lemonade and nibble some crackers before venturing into the tea room for an African themed culinary adventure.

The Royal Touch

This beautiful hardcover cookbook (a souvenir from our journey to England last summer) features Simply Stunning Home Cooking from a Former Royal Chef. Written by Carolyn Robb, a former personal chef to TRH The Prince and Princess of Wales and TRH Prince William and Prince Harry and published in 2015, it is a glorious compilation of foods and delicacies fit for a king, but with easy to follow instructions you'll be eager to prepare and serve to family and friends. 

The photography is stunning throughout the entire book. Hard not to drool over each colorful picture. The presentation is exceptional, as one would expect for a royal household. Each chapter has enticing photographs of recipes featured in the chapter. From Magnificent Morsels, through Beautiful Beginnings, Little Bites, and Sweet Temptations, there's something here sure to please everyone.

Tucked here and there throughout the book are sweet little sketches, some depicting fresh herbs, others feature the British flag. Little bits of royal memorabilia are also included, a Christmas card from Diana with her two sons, or a hand written note from Charles. It's a little scrapbook tucked within the pages of a cookbook. What a fun book! It is available through Amazon in case you're wondering, and slightly used copies are available at a reasonable price.

Steampunk Booksigning Garden Party

Steampunk authors Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris joined us in the gardens of The Rosemary House for a book signing and authors meet and greet. Their series, A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences follows the exploits of Britain's Secret Agents Books and Braun. The novels include Phoenix Rising, The Janus Affair, Dawn's Early Light, and The Diamond Conspiracy.



Our guests gathered in the gardens to meet the authors. Pip, short for Philippa, is originally from New Zealand and has a most delightful accent. She is a fantasy writer and podcaster. Her husband and coauthor, Tee, is also a coauthor of Podcasting for Dummies.

        Don't you just love all of the creative costuming?

A special thank you to Pip and Tee for joining us. Their answer to the question 'What is Steampunk?' is defined on their website as: Steampunk is modern technology—iPads, computers, robotics, air travel—powered by steam and set in the 1800’s. For a more complete definition, visit their website here.

Special thanks to Deb Beamer our book vender. Deb has owned and operated Mechanicsburg Mystery Books since 1990. The shop is located just outside of town at the corner of Clouser Road and Trindle Road. Her shop specializes in mystery, spy, thriller and horror books of all kinds, new and used. She has the best assortment of mystery books available! In addition, she offers a fun variety of specialty events at her shop. Thanks Deb!

Healing Herbs by Tina Sams

Tina Sams is the editor of The Essential Herbal Magazine, one of our favorite herbal publications, so when we learned of her new book we just knew it was a "must have" and it did not disappoint. 
Healing Herbs features twenty herbs and Tina Sams managed to pick the perfect 20! Rarely do I read a book cover to cover but Tina has a pleasant easy to read writing style that  makes her book very easy and fun to read.  

The book begins with general instructions for herbal preparation which Tina Sams boils down to the simple easy to follow basic instructions.   Then it moves into the twenty herbs. Each chapter is filled with interesting details or folk lore about the herbs and then multiple recipes for cooking and medicine.

 

Sams shares her first hand experience with herbs but has also reached out to multiple herbalists and includes a recipe from those herbalists in each chapter as well. My contribution is in the comfrey chapter. The book is nicely indexed and features over 100 recipes for tea, medicine and dinner! This is a lovely book that has earned a spot on my bookshelf! It is available on The Essential Herbal website, or via Amazon.

Book Review: The Perfect Blend (and Giveaway!)

The Perfect Blend, published in 2010 by Harvest House Publishers is an easy-to-read romantic novel by Trish Perry that prominently features a tea room. Steph, the main character finds herself in a difficult position when her fiancé leaves her standing alone. She connects with several characters throughout the book, including the tea room owner where she finds temporary work until she lands on her feet. In the meantime, a friendly romance begins to develop with one of the towns eligible bachelors. Steph discovers herself, her connection to family and friends, reevaluates her relationship with the fiancé when he returns, and relies on faith and prayer to make the right decisions in life. 

There were plenty of interactions in the tea room including prepping for the tea service for the day. In the back of the book there are a few recipes for some of the food that is served in Millicent's Tea Room. This book is the first in the tea room series by author Perry.

If you're looking for a fun clean read, curl up with a mug of tea, and enjoy the unexpected turns that are part of life's journey for Steph. If you would like to be included in a Giveaway for a slightly used copy of this book and a few tea samples to enjoy with it, leave a comment on this post now thru Sunday March 8th. Winner will be announced Monday the 9th.

Book Review: Botany in a Day

This book has been around for a while but I was lucky enough to get my own copy recently. Author Thomas J. Epel has a terrific way of breaking down botany to a very readable and easy to understand level. He breaks it down in a logical way -- in fact he even has a section titled "Start here" just in case you are tempted to begin in the middle. I love the line drawings that are all through the book as they are perfect illustrations for what is being taught.  

This book goes beyond a standard field guide in that it thoroughly explains the patterns of the plants.  It includes more than 100 plant families and 700 genera including edible and medicinal herbs.   I am finding this book very very useful  but I can't say I learned it in one day!

The Burg

The Burg, as in Harrisburg, PA is a free publication with emphasis on the community, the people and the businesses that comprise the area. This monthly magazine  shares a multitude of stories covering such topics as dining, culture, happenings and new businesses.

It just so happens that the February issue of this take-away publication featured an article on possible locations to step back in time and celebrate A Victorian Valentine's. And, Sweet Remembrances was included as a romantic way to begin your Valentine's day weekend.

Tea for Two! Perfect! If you'd like to take a peek at the write-up authored by Don Helin, follow this link to the online article.

Mr. Helin authored "Thy Kingdom Come", a thriller, in 2009. His most recent novel, "Devil's Den," has been selected as a finalist in the Indie Book Awards while his latest thriller, "Secret Assault" was published this past November.

And the tables are set in anticipation of our Valentine's Day tea.

New Book: Through the Seasons

Oh my Goodness, the newest book by The Essential Herbal is amazing. It is 450 large 8 1/2 by 11 pages chock full of herbal information. Incredibly well indexed by topic, authors name, herb, recipe or craft. It is clear this book was a labor of love. Tina Sams, editor of The Essential Herbal Magazine, (and Molly's mom), has pulled together a fabulous compendium of the second five years worth of favorite articles. This is the cream of the crop from 2008-2012, and cream it is! The Essential Herbal draws an interesting array of authors all with unique and first hand experience with herbs. And it shows. It is clear these folks are not just writing about herbs, they are actually working with these amazing plants. If you only have room on your bookshelves or in your budget for just one new herbal this year, I would strongly suggest you consider this book. It has a huge variety of topics from growing herbs, medicinal herbs, culinary herbs, history of herbs, and crafting with herbs. It features basic herbs and unusual (but not obscure) herbs as well. Since it is a compendium of articles, I appreciate the fact that I can pick it up and read an article or two and then easily put it down until the next time.  

New Book: So Easy to Preserve

It isn't a good Christmas if there isn't a new book under the tree.   This book by the Cooperative Extension of the University of Georgia is an excellent book, with all the current information on preserving foods.  It covers canning (of meat, veggies, fruits and jams), freezing, dehydrating, making vinegars, pickling and so much more.  In its revised 6th edition, this comprehensive 387 page book, features hundreds of recipes as well.  While there is a lot of information here.  I am finding it very easy to read and to comprehend and am enjoying this treasure quite a bit.

www.soeasytopreserve.com

Modern Tea - Lisa Boalt Richardson

We recently had the pleasure of meeting Lisa Boalt Richardson during the Mid-Atlantic Tea Business Association meeting held at Tea By Two in Bel Air, MD. Lisa, a certified tea specialist and well known author on the subject of tea hails from Atlanta, GA. This was a special book launch for her newest publication, Modern Tea. Lisa has also authored Tea With a Twist and The World in Your Teacup.

Modern Tea: A Fresh Look at an Ancient Beverage is a comprehensive book that includes a variety of pertinent information for both the newbie recently introduced to the world of tea and the devoted tea enthusiast looking to enhance their education. She offers tips for purchasing tea, storing it properly, and brewing techniques. Moving beyond the cup, she shares about cooking with tea including pairing tea with chocolate. At the book launch, we had a tea and chocolate pairing guided by Lisa. We'll share that tomorrow. You can find Lisa on Facebook here: Lisa Knows Tea.

Tea & Sweets

Tea & Sweets is the newest publication from Hoffman Media and TeaTime Magazine and it's available at The Rosemary House. Billed as a collection of Fabulous Desserts for Afternoon Tea, this colorful hardcover book features more than 100 recipes from the editors of TeaTime magazine plus recipes from thirteen different tea rooms across the States including Sweet Remembrances.

Deciding what recipe to include was a difficult choice. Betty Terry, the Associate Editor, requested 2 or 3 recipe choices, and then they selected one. My recipe for Carrot Cake Mini Cupcakes is featured on page 25 along with a brief background story on The Rosemary House, Sweet Remembrances and our mother's legacy.   

What a thrill it is to be included in this book! Special thanks to Lorna Reeves, Editor, for spotlighting a variety of tea rooms including Sweet Remembrances, and for continuing to share the love of tea thru TeaTime Magazine and other specialty publications.

A Year of Themed Teas

It's always exciting when an unexpected special gift arrives in the mail, and that was the case this past week. A dear friend sent a copy of a cookbook compiled Cheryl Nix, owner of Tea by Three. Her tea business was established in Michigan in 1999 with the Teacup Cottage being built in 2001. The tea room has recently closed, although a few of her cookbooks were still available for sale. It is always fun to receive a new cookbook to add to the collection. It's the best way to find new ideas and recipes. And this little cookbook is full of them. The title, A Year of Themed Teas says it all!

Just look at the fun collection of themes - who wouldn't love a Chocolate Valentine tea, or the Lavender and Lace Tea, and Fairies in the Garden Tea.

 
















Each chapter represents a new theme, and within that chapter are cleverly named recipes that would be perfectly suited for the theme. Such a thoughtful friend to send this little gem to me. Thank you so much P.B., every time I use this cookbook, I will fondly think of you!